Well, welcome. Welcome to Sidestall School. This is Chris Gillibot. So excited to have you tuning in. And guess what? Today is the 21st of August, at least here in my world, at least the day that the episode is going out. Also known as episode 2424, 2424. Also known as the day before my book launch.

Gonzo Capitalism, how to make money in an economy that hates you. This is my new book, my first book in three years. So excited to begin a book tour tomorrow. I'll be in Phoenix, I'll be in San Francisco, I'll be in Los Angeles this week.

But the crazy thing about books, even if you're not in those cities, you can get the book. In fact, you can order it right now from Amazon, from your local bookstore, from Barnes & Noble, from Audible, wherever you like to get books, etc, etc.

Okay, I'll say more about it tomorrow, but I am, in fact, excited. The show goes on though. Today is also the segment known as your first $1,000. Today we're going to talk about what we're going to hear from, I should say, a medical resident working in Chicago, who has a side hustle as the med school decision doctor, helping students and interns navigate crucial decisions.

And what we do here is, how do you get to that point? How did you, in fact, come up with this idea? How did you monetize the idea? Because everybody has ideas. This is a core principle of side hustle school that ideas, I don't want to say they're valueless, but 99% of the value is in what you actually do with the idea, how you implement it, how you make it happen.

So how did someone go from idea to the first $1,000? That is, in essence, the core concern. So with that in mind, today's feature comes from a medical resident working in Chicago, and because it's not enough to be a doctor at a busy hospital, she also has a side hustle as the med school decision doctor, helping those students and interns with all the stuff they got to figure out as they move through their training.

So let's hear the story. How did she make her first $1,000? What do you feel like? What's next? Let's hear it all from Clarissa.

In the world of medical education, I, Dr. Clarice Reynolds, a senior attending at a hospital in Chicago, found a side hustle opportunity that hit close to home.

My experience navigating the convoluted path of med school and residency sparked a desire to guide others through this journey.

I remembered the countless nights I spent fretting over major decisions such as choosing a specialty, ranking residency programs, and deciding on fellowships. Each decision carried a weight that could shape my entire career.

It was during a late-night discussion with fellow doctors reminiscing about our early years that I had my Rika moment.

The realization that many students and first-year residents grapple with the same decisions we once did was a calling.

I could use my experience and insights to make a difference, and so my side hustle was born.

I set out to offer decision-making consultations for those at the crossroads of their medical journey.

Each consultation was tailor-made to address the individual's specific questions, from sifting through residency options to choosing between gastroenterology and pulmonology as a specialty.

With the infrastructure in place, I decided to leverage the network I had built over the years.

Starting with my own hospital, I began giving free talks on decision-making and medicine. I supplemented these efforts with posts shared on medical student forums, shedding light on various aspects of the decision-making process.

My first paying client, Jason, was a fourth-year medical student, teetering between psychiatry and family medicine.

He had heard one of my talks and felt a connection. We had three in-depth consultation sessions.

Our discussions, which ranged from analyzing his interests and skills to understanding the future implication of each specialty, helped Jason decide to pursue psychiatry.

Jason's decision marked a small but pivotal victory.

He was my first $250, and within a few months, I had four more clients.

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